BALTIMORE — A new Maryland law recently signed by Gov. Wes Moore aiming to crack down on exhibition driving or street racing is now in effect.

Anyone participating in street racing in Maryland could face jail time and hefty fines.

Street racing has caused chaos and death in Baltimore and beyond. In Maryland, the cost of showing off is now much higher.

“It’s all about showing off and at other people’s risk and expense to life and health and business and peace,” said John Seng, Chair of Safe Roads Maryland, the group that lobbied for the bills.

This new law, which started Saturday, says anyone participating in street racing and exhibition driving will face mandatory court appearances and up to one year of imprisonment. Fines are also now doubled to $1,000.

“These are some of the most aggressive penalties in the nation,” Seng said. “What the Maryland General Assembly recognized was, we need to make exhibition driving and street racing a really bad idea.”

A Baltimore County family has felt the deadly impact of street racing.

In 2019, WJZ investigator Mike Hellgren spoke with the family of 19-year-old Zach Friedlander, who, along with his dog, was killed after a driver t-boned him at 116 mph.

“I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone,” said Lexi Friedlander, Zach’s sister.

Eyewitnesses told police the driver who hit him was racing.

“This was not an accident,” Friedlander said.

Seng hopes these penalties will bring street racing to a screeching halt.

“You better think twice because you may find yourself behind bars,” Seng said.

The new law doesn’t just apply to drivers, but anyone involved in street racing activity is subject to these penalties.  

ELKRIDGE, Md. (AP) — A Maryland man killed three female family members and critically wounded his son before taking his own life, police said Friday.

The motive for Thursday night’s shootings at a townhouse in the Baltimore suburb of Elkridge was unknown, Howard County Police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn said at a news conference.

Neighbors called 911 around 10 p.m. saying they heard gunshots. At around the same time, the suspect called 911 indicating he had just shot members of his family and that he intended to take his own life, Llewellyn said.

The victims lived at the townhouse. The suspect, who did not live there, routinely visited the home. There was no sign of forced entry and police had no prior calls to the home, Llewellyn said.

A 3-month-old girl was found unharmed.

Police identified the three women who died as the suspect’s wife, Syeda Aalia Nayyar, 57; daughter, Syeda Fatima, 25; and daughter-in-law, Alizey Fatima, 33. The suspect’s son, Muhammad Ali Hamza, 31, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The suspect, Nayyar Abbas Syed, 61, later died at a hospital, Llewellyn said.

Llewellyn said the baby was placed in the care of a family member.